Project: Memories
by benevolent-parasite
Summary: As he relives his days at the Organization, Roxas remembers everything that happened while he was a member of this terrible group, including Xion's death. He vows to change the course of history to prevent the death of his true friend from happening, but will he succeed? Rated T. Pairing: RokuShi. More may develop during the course of the story.
1. A Strange Encounter

**A/N: Hey guys! This is my first story and my first RokuShi story, so please don't get angry if it's bad! I also need to mention that practically half of this chapter is from Kingdom Hearts II, so don't be surprised that the first half sounds oddly familiar. I just needed that part to introduce everything. I triple checked spelling, but i'm pretty sure that my punctuation is going to be wrong sometimes, so please if you spot any mistakes, let me know so that I may have a better understanding in the future. Thank you. Now sit back, relax, and enjoy the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, Disney or they're characters in any way. This is strictly for fun and not for profit. **

**Project: Memories**

**Chapter 1: A Strange Encounter**

_"So… it is possible?" The woman asked, hopeful that the answer would be yes._

_"It is possible, but it will take some time" The unknown figure replied."Are you sure you want to do this? By doing this, you're risking a life."_

_"I know," the woman said, "but…I need to know." She broke her gaze from whom she was talking to and stared straight at the dreamer, tears in her eyes. _

* * *

Roxas awoke gasping for air, startled from the dream he had. He sat there for a minute, trying to contemplate what he had just dreamt. He placed his hand on his forehead. "Another weird dream," he presumed. Looking at his surroundings, Roxas started to stand on his two feet to figure out where he was. "Where… where am I?" He asked himself, scratching his head in confusion. He walked around, taking in everything he saw. As he passed by some egg shaped pods, he stopped and realized exactly where he was. "The old abandoned mansion!" he remarked, "I must have passed out after fighting Axel." Remembering everything that had happened, Roxas continued to walk, hoping he would find more answers as to why he was there.

As he walked forward, two egg shaped pods caught Roxas's attention. "Donald," he said, turning his head slightly to see the other pod, "Goofy?" He stared at them wondering why they were in pods. Roxas looked to his left and noticed a door. "Maybe I'm supposed to go in there," he thought, getting closer and closer.

The door flung open letting Roxas walk inside. "Him again," he angrily thought as he walked up to Diz.

"At last," Diz proclaimed, "the keyblade's chosen one."

"Who are you talking to," Roxas asked angrily. "Me or Sora?"

"To half of Sora, of course." Diz pauses and looks at Roxas. He notices his anger, but continues anyway. "You reside in darkness. What I need is someone who can move about the realm of light and destroy Organization 13."

"Why? Who are you?"

"I am a servant of the world," Diz explains to Roxas, as he laughs at his own metaphor, "and if I'm a servant then you should consider yourself a tool at best."

"W-was that… was that supposed to be a joke? BECAUSE I'M NOT LAUGHING!" He exclaimed. Roxas, filled with anger, summons his keyblade and charges at Diz. He swings his keyblade at him, but his blade seemed to just go right through him. Confused, Roxas stopped and looked at Diz with a perplexed expression on his face. Why didn't his blade inflict any damage?

"My Apologies. This is only a data based projection," Diz stated with a rather arrogant smile.

Roxas clenched his hands in anger and screamed in rage, causing him to attack Data Diz ferociously. He swung and swung until he started to tire himself out. Out of breath, Roxas stopped attacking, giving Data Diz time to disappear. Roxas stood there, breathing heavily trying to get his breath back. He was enraged at Data Diz. Nothing could come close to the anger he felt toward him. He just wanted to grab his measly head and bash it in as hard as he could.

"Over here, Roxas," Data Diz said tauntingly.

He turned around to find that Data Diz had reappeared right behind him. Still out of breath, Roxas stared at Data Diz angrily. "I hate you so much!"

"You should share some of that hatred with Sora," Data Diz suggested, "he's far too nice for his own good."

"No! My heart belongs to me!" Roxas, appalled by Data Diz's suggestion, rushes towards him and attacks him again, but Data Diz just disappears, leaving an angry Roxas alone in the room. As he tries to calm himself down, Roxas looks up to see a gigantic pod right in front of him.

The pod suddenly began to open slowly. Roxas stepped back, not knowing what was inside. As the pod was opening, he walked up with caution, waiting to see what was inside. An enemy? A friend? The pod opened fully revealing just what was inside. "Sora." he whispered to himself.

Roxas stared at Sora not knowing what to do. He knew he had to merge with Sora to do what was right for the world. He knew he couldn't be selfish, but how could you not be at a moment like this? Roxas looked down as he thought about what he was sacrificing. He was leaving his life, his friends and quite possibly, his memories. Just thinking about it made Roxas tear up. He didn't want to abandon everyone and everything dear to him, especially his memories.

Roxas let out a small smile as he looked back up at Sora. "You're lucky." he said, having finally made up his mind. "Looks like my summer vacation…is over."

Roxas began to float in the air, ready to merge with Sora. He looked at him, tears beginning to form in his eyes. He thought of the good memories he had lived and the bad ones he had survived. He had left his mark; he just knew it. Roxas smiled as a tear began to roll down his cheek, and in an instant, an unknown force caused Roxas to collide with Sora, making him whole again.

* * *

Darkness was all he saw as he fell to who knows where. Screaming as he fell, Roxas tried to look for a source of light, but failed to find one. He started to panic, wondering if this was the end for him, until he felt himself falling slower and slower. He stopped his screaming and looked around in confusion. He looked down and noticed a patch of grass right under him. As his feet touched the ground, he looked around, not knowing where to go. He stood there thinking what his next move should be. He then noticed a light just a few yards away. Without hesitation, Roxas decided to run towards the light, hoping to find some answers as to where he was and what had happened.

As he got closer to the light, Roxas could see something start to appear. He couldn't make out what he was looking at. "Is that…a garden?"

When he finally arrived to the light source, he had realized…he was right. A garden full of roses and other carnations created a pathway, leading Roxas to some unknown area. He had stopped running and walked through the pathway, amazed at all the beautiful flowers that surrounded him. The birds chirped and flew all around the garden, tweeting as if they didn't have a care in the world. It was an amazing sight, one Roxas would not forget.

As the pathway began to end, he examined what was now in front of him. A sitting area surrounded by roses and no other flowers. Chills ran down Roxas's body. "Man, this is creepy," he thought to himself trying to figure out why there were only roses and no tulips or daisies. As he thought about it for a minute, he noticed someone wearing a strange hat sitting at the sitting area, and by the looks of it, he was drinking something. Who could it be? Would it be safe or dangerous? Should he go over there? These questions arose in Roxas's thoughts while examining the unknown individual. He stared at the stranger's back, trying to make up his mind, when he noticed something very peculiar about the man. "A tail?" He asked himself, wondering why a person would have a tail. Something didn't feel right, but what other choice did he have? With that, Roxas began to walk towards the man cautiously, wondering what kind of tragedy would unfold from his decision.

Roxas, now behind the man, took one last breath before he reached his arm out to touch the man's shoulder. "E-excuse me…" he stuttered, wondering what the stranger might say. The man started to stand slowly, forcing Roxas to take his hand off of him and to step back a bit. He examined the man's hand that had a knife tightly clenched, almost as if he intended to use it. Roxas feared the worst. He decided to summon his keyblade just in case, but his keyblade was not appearing. "What's going on?" he thought to himself, baffled as to why every time he tried to summon his blade of light, it failed to appear. He then remembered something. "Didn't this… didn't this happen before?" he thought to himself, holding his head as he tried to remember. Roxas thought and thought, but seemed to not remember a thing. "Huh? Why can't I remember a thing?"

The gentleman, with the knife clenched tightly, turned around rather swiftly, pointing the knife right at Roxas's face. He was staring at the floor, to conceal his identity as he pointed, when he finally started to speak his first words. "I have a question for you." He said in an eerie voice.

Roxas raised his hands to his shoulders as if surrendering. "Yea?" Roxas responded, scared out of his mind. His eyes widened as he started to breath faster than usual. He then closed his eyes and waited for his demise.

The gentleman looked straight into Roxas's eyes with a straight face. He then let out a friendly grin and chuckled a bit. "What flavor of cake do you like?"

Roxas's eyes shot up fast allowing him to see this fraud. This man who had tricked him. The man who had almost made him soil his pants. Roxas looked at the gentleman, ready to give him a piece of his mind when something caught his attention. Roxas immediately took notice of the man's face and was in shock. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Were his eyes deceiving him? Surprised, Roxas stepped back, not comprehending what was going on. Who exactly was this man? "Who are you," he asked harshly, "and why do you look exactly like me?"

**A/N: Hope you like it so far. Don't forget to review... and a follow would be nice... ;D**


	2. Daring or Timid?

"Why do I look like you? Why do you look like me?" the man said arrogantly as he chuckled at his own remark. As he began to sit down, he placed the knife back on the table, and continued to drink his tea.

The awkwardness of the situation grew as no one said a word. Roxas was still trying to piece together what was happening while the gentleman tried to enjoy his tea peacefully. The man looked back at Roxas, amazed that he hadn't budged at all, and smiled at him. "Are you still standing?" he said jokingly.

"Huh?" Roxas replied unaware that he had zoned out for a while.

"Come on, Roxas, there's a seat next to me that practically has your name on it." The man gestured to a seat next to him signaling Roxas to sit down. Roxas walked over to his seat slowly wondering if this whole thing was a trap. As he got closer, he examined the chair and saw writing on it. It actually read "Roxas". The man wasn't lying. Roxas looked at the gentleman with a puzzled face. The man laughed at the look Roxas gave him. It was priceless. "What? You thought I was joking?."

Roxas sat down angrily on the chair, tired of the man's teasing. He clenched his fists, and banged on the table as hard as he could. "Stop laughing! Where am I? Why am I here? And why am I stuck here with you?" he screamed, implying that he had had enough.

The man grew silent almost immediately, but with a smile still intact. He placed his cup on the table and positioned his hands under his chin. "So many questions, which ones should you ask? If you ask the wrong questions, I will be of no help, but if you ask the right questions, you may find more than what you ask for."

Roxas looked at him, confused, but relieved that this man was finally taking all this seriously. "Who are you?" he asked since the question seemed to come to mind first.

The man put a grin on his face and disappeared in an instant, reappearing on a tree branch close to the table. He lay down on the branch and looked directly at Roxas with an even bigger grin. "My name is Ven V. Ventus, but you can call me Ven. Nice to make your acquaintance." He raised his arm up waving hello to Roxas, but Roxas was too astonished to speak a word, let alone wave back. "I see," Ven said, bringing his arm back, "You must be the roguish type, right Roxas?" He snickered as he stuck his tongue out at him.

Roxas took notice of this and finally asked Ven the million-dollar question. "Wait, how do you know my name?"

Ven laughed to himself quietly as he placed both hands on the sides of his head. He then gently removed his head, carrying it in one hand. "To tell him or not to tell him: is that the question?" Ven continued to juggle his head in one hand before finally putting it back intact. "Geez, I can't believe it took you this long to ask that. Well… let's just say... the roses sing your name in these parts."

Confused, Roxas decided to drop the subject, seeing that he would never get a straightforward answer from this person. Person. That reminded him of something. He looked at Ven closely and spotted his "wiggly friend" again.

"I see you've taken notice of my feline characteristics, but before you even think of ridiculing me, or my tail, maybe you should take a look at what you're wearing." Ven stated in a disapproving manner.

Roxas was surprised. He hadn't even thought of looking at what he was wearing. It never passed his mind. He looked at himself thoroughly. "A coat?"

"The most repulsive I've ever seen." Ven said with a giant smirk on his face.

Silence began to grow as the two kept to themselves for a moment. However, Roxas's mind seemed to be louder than ever. So many questions, yet so little answers. What was happening? Why was he wearing a long black coat? Who else…

"You know, when you asked why you were stuck with me, it really hurt." Ven admitted, sounding very insincere. "Anyways, that got me thinking, I'm sure you must be wondering if there are others here as well."

"Are there?" Roxas asked, hopeful that there were others.

"Well… I did see someone recently." Ven responded, teasing Roxas a bit. "A girl? No. A boy?" He vanishes only to reappear right next to Roxas who was still sitting on his seat. He put his lips close to Roxas's ear, forcing Ven to bring his voice to a whisper. "It all depends on how you view it."

Startled, Roxas jumped up from his seat and took a few steps away from this lunatic. What was this "cat" talking about, and why did this boy or girl sound so… important? Roxas put his hand on his head and closed his eyes, trying to subdue the pain that was starting to arise, but it was no use. "What's happening?" he thought to himself, trying to figure out why he felt this pain. He then started to remember someone. Someone who was wearing the same coat he was wearing. Someone who he spent a lot of time with; someone he referred to as… his best friend.

"Did I cause this?" Ven asked taking notice of the pain Roxas was in. "No of course not. It was that person. What was that name? Oh they nearly screamed it at me. Let's see… Neon? No, that can't be right. Xenon? Oh, I'm getting closer. I think it was…"

"_Roxas…_"

Roxas opened his eyes rapidly remembering who that someone was. "Xion!" He exclaimed. How could he have forgotten her? The one he cared for? The one he felt for? The one he treasured. His eyes began to tear up as he wondered where she was.

"Hey!" Ven said, rather disappointed. "I was going to say that! I mean her name came to my mind a little late, but I was going to…"

Roxas ran up to Ven and grabbed him by the shirt with his two hands, pinning him against the tree. "Where's Xion?" he screamed ferociously, saliva flying towards Ven's face.

"Where?" Ven inquired as he disappeared back to top of the tree branch. He lay on his back and turned his head to look at Roxas. "_Where_ is such a big question for such a small problem." Ven turned his head to the other side and pointed to two pathways.

Roxas walked to the other side of the tree and saw the separated pathways. Where did each one lead? "Which one did she take?" Roxas asked rather impatiently wanting to find Xion to see if she was ok.

"This is your dilemma not mine, but therein lies my dilemma." Ven paused and then continued with a devilish grin. "If you prefer bravery, then that path will show you the way." He told him, pointing to the path on the left. "If you, however, favor repudiation," he said beginning to point to the path on the right, "then i assure you, it's that path." Ven began to sit on the branch looking down at Roxas. "No matter which you choose, you will find answers to the questions you seek." His body began to disappear leaving only his head visible. "The choices you make from hereon out will not only affect you, but those around you." He began to sway his head in a crazy manner with a big smirk on his face. "So many choices, which ones will you choose?" His head then disappeared, leaving no trace of him whatsoever.

Roxas looked at the branch where Ven was at and noticed that he had disappeared, "Hey wait!" he shouted expecting a reply. Sadly there was none. The only creature that could help him was now gone, leaving Roxas to wonder if he should even trust what Ven had said to him. "Should I even believe him?" He asked himself wondering what to do.

"Should you believe me?" Ven asked as his grin appeared in front of Roxas. "Or should you not believe me? I believe you'll make the right decision."

Roxas was somewhat happy that he had come back. "Ven!" he said sounding a little surprised. "Where do I go? What do I do? I don't know which path to take?" He stood there looking at the floor wanting answers. His once furious face turned gloomy and hopeless. All he wanted to do was find Xion. He wanted to hug her tightly and never let her go. He couldn't explain this feeling that came over him every time he thought of her. All he knew was that at that moment, he wanted to be with her, wherever she was.

"I can't help you there." Ven responded knowing fully that he could. "If I did, the crazy in me would not be having fun. Majority beats the minority." He laughs as his grin began to sway side to side again. His smirk began to fade away as he sang an eerie song, one that made Roxas feel very uneasy.

"_Everyday for us,_  
_Something is new,_  
_Open mind,_  
_For a different view,_  
_And nothing else should matter,_  
_To you."_

By then, Ven's uncanny smile had faded away as well as his singing. He disappeared, once again, leaving Roxas alone to his thoughts. He looked at both pathways carefully. The answer was very obvious, but maybe the right answer isn't always right in these kinds of situations. "Bravery or repudiation? What did he mean by that?" Roxas pondered for a moment about his options. "Maybe... I'm supposed to go through the middle." He stood there thinking if that was the answer. "No, that's stupid. Only someone idiotic would think of that."

He looked at both pathways again, still trying to make up his mind. "Repudiation..." Roxas took his first steps towards his decision. He knew what was important, no matter what. "Repudiation... just causes problems." he said as he walked towards the left pathway. He was sure that this path would lead him to the right place because without bravery, he wouldn't be at the garden in the first place. He wouldn't have talked to Ven at all, but most importantly however, he would not have remembered the only light that ever lit his dark world. Xion.


	3. Fast Times at The Castle That Never Was

Walking through an unknown path isn't necessarily an easy thing to do. For one, you don't know what will happen or if something will jump out at you. For these reasons, Roxas walked with caution and made sure he was on his guard at all times.

He looked to his sides having already seen the very tall hedges practically towering over him. "The perfect place for someone to hide and attack," he thought to himself.

As he walked deeper and deeper into the path, voices arose in his head. They were quiet, so he couldn't hear them very well. He stopped walking, trying to see if he could make out what the voices were saying. He heard one say, "…ever you're ready." The voices stopped, leaving Roxas confused. He looked all around him, as the area surrounding him grew quiet.

"Now!"

Roxas turned around wondering what voice had yelled that. "Xion?" he asked, hoping that it was really her. No one was there though.

Out of nowhere, Roxas's head began to ache terribly. It felt as though someone was stabbing it over and over again. He grabbed his head with both hands, trying to withhold the agonizing pain. He grit his teeth as hard as he could and squeezed his head harder than ever, however, the pain just kept rising and rising. Roxas hunched over looking at the ground, screaming as loud as he could. He couldn't take it anymore. It was too much. As he stopped his screaming, he fell to the ground. He lay on his side with his eyes closed. The pain had gone away, but the aftermath left Roxas out cold.

The woman walked out of the hedges, looking at Roxas. She walked over to him noticing that he had passed out. She kneeled down and grabbed his hand, making sure he wasn't gone forever; he was alright. Relieved, she put her hand on his forehead beginning to cry lightly. "Roxas, I can't believe… it took you this long to get here." Her tears began to fall to the ground as she chuckled. She hadn't seen him in a very long time, and just looking at him made her happier than her love for animals.

Roxas's eyes began to open a bit, still in a horrible daze. He looked at the woman, but she was too much of a blur. He couldn't make out whom it was. "X…Xion?" He asked quietly, still recovering from his episode.

The woman put a finger to his lips, signaling him to stop talking. "Everything is going to be alright, Roxas." She paused as she cupped his cheek with her hand. "I have to go away now, so I wont be able to see you again for a while. I just… I really wanted to see you again, Roxas." Her tears had halted as she started to smile contentedly. She leaned in close to him and kissed his forehead gently. "See you again." She said, keeping her smile intact.

Roxas was growing tired and knew that he couldn't stay awake for long. He looked at her, still seeing a blur, and tried to speak once more. "X…Xi…" His eyes began to close slowly as his body relaxed itself. He was in deep slumber now, unable to feel a thing.

The woman stood up on her two feet and gazed towards the sunset, hoping that everything would be ok. She took one more look at Roxas and walked away in the hedges, leaving him on the floor… alone.

* * *

**Day 4**

Roxas jolted up, breathing heavily. He glanced around, trying to reassure himself of his location. Looking around, he took note of everything he saw. White walls, the white bed he was sitting on, and a window that gave him a clear view of a heart shaped moon. He was in his room. Roxas let out a sigh of relief. "Just a weird dream," he told himself looking out his window. As he sat on his bed, he tried to recall what his dream was about, but he couldn't remember it at all. He knew it was weird dream, but of what?

The door to his room opened. Saix walked in with his clipboard and looked at him. "Roxas, get to your training. Axel is waiting for you in the grey area." With that, Saix walked out of his room and continued to wake the others.

Roxas immediately got off his bed and began to walk to the grey area. "I wonder what today is going to be like," he thought to himself on the way.

When Roxas arrived, he could already see that some of the members had already woken up. Some were walking around half asleep, some were sitting on the couch awaiting orders, and some were even standing in line for Kupo's world famous pancakes.

"Yo, Roxas!"

Roxas looked over at the couches. He saw Axel waving at him, gesturing for him to come and join him. He sat down next to him and noticed that Axel was eating Kupo's pancakes, and boy did they smell delicious.

"Want some?" Axel asked, noticing that Roxas was eying his food.

"No thanks, I'm not hungry right now," he said, cheery as can be.

"Whoa, since when can you form sentences?"

"I," Roxas stopped and wondered, "I don't know. Why can I form sentences, but yesterday I couldn't even say one word?"

"I'll tell you why, it's because you've got one of the best trainers in the world," Axel said jokingly. "Not to mention one of the most gorgeous."

Roxas began to laugh. "Yeah right! I'm pretty sure the best trainers in the world don't sleep all day." They both shared a laugh and Axel continued to eat his food.

"Hey Roxas, I was wondering. Since you know how to make sentences now, why don't we just take the day off and relax?"

Roxas looked at Axel confused. "Can we do that? Won't we get in trouble?"

"Nah. I'm only supposed to teach you how to talk and give you a lesson on Kingdom Hearts today, but since you've already done the hard part, we could go get ice cream, go to the clock tower like we always do, and I'll give you the lesson there. How's that sound?" Axel asked happily.

"Yeah, it's a plan."

With that, Axel finished his pancakes and they were off to get ice cream.

* * *

The man at the shop always looked at the two closely. He found it odd that they were wearing those strange black coats.

"Two sea salt ice creams for the road, sir," Axel said handing the clerk his munny.

"Certainly!" The man reached for the ice creams and handed them to Axel. "Will that be all?"

"Yep. Thanks and have a great day." Axel nudged Roxas. "Roxas, What do you say to the man."

"Thank you." Roxas said to the man.

As they walked farther from him, the clerk couldn't help but glare at the two. He could hear the little one say "You don't have to treat me like a child you know" from a distance. He smiled and began to clean his cart. "That little one looks nothing like his father. He must take after his mother," he thought to himself whistling away to a catchy tune.

* * *

Axel began to lay down against the clock tower with his ice cream in his mouth. Roxas sat next to him licking away at his delicious ice cream. They sat there quietly for a while enjoying their ice creams.

Roxas looked to his empty side, feeling like something was missing. He looked back to the distance and then back again to his side. He did this for a while until Axel finally gave in. "Ok, what's the matter? Why do you keep looking to your left?"

He looked at Axel and then back to the spot on his left. "I know this sounds weird, but… I feel like we're missing somebody. Like, maybe were not supposed to be the only two up here."

"Are you saying you want another friend to join us up here?"

"Friend?" Roxas looked at Axel wondering if they were friends.

"Yeah… we're friends, Roxas." Axel responded a little awkwardly. "Get it memorized, ok?"

Roxas smiled and looked to the distance. "Yea. We're friends."

"Listen, if you want to bring someone else up here, that's fine. Just don't bring Demyx or Larxene. Those two can get really annoying at times."

Roxas thought about whom he could invite up to the tower with him. It didn't take him long to realize that no one from the organization would want to go with him and Axel to the tower after a mission. And, to be honest, Roxas didn't want any of them there at all. He looked at Axel with a smile. "You know, I think I like it the way it is now. Just the two of us."

Axel chuckled. "Yeah, me too."

Roxas looked back at his ice cream and continued to eat it. He then looked to his left one last time, wondering why looking at that spot made him feel gloomy, but happy at the same time. He put his hand where his heart was supposed to be. It felt warm, almost as if there was a heart in there. Roxas put his hand back down and stared out into the openness. "_Why am I feeling this if I have no heart?_" he thought to himself.

The two then continued to talk for the next few hours. Axel taught Roxas everything he knew about Kingdom Hearts and why it was so important to complete it fast. After that, the two started to joke around and before you knew it, the day was over, and the two had to return to the castle.

Axel opened a portal leading back to the castle. "Come on Roxas. It's time to RTC."

Roxas sighed and stood up. He didn't want to leave. He was having a lot of fun.

"Hey, put a smile on that face." Axel grabbed both of Roxas's cheeks and forced him to smile. "We're not leaving forever. We'll come back tomorrow too and the next day, and the next day, and the next day…"

Roxas took Axel's hands off of his cheeks and began to laugh. "I know. I just wish it was tomorrow already."

Axel chuckled as he lightly pushed Roxas into the portal. When Roxas went through, Axel stopped and turned around. He looked at the sunset in admiration and smiled. "That sun gets more beautiful every time I look at it." He turned back around and walked inside the portal, knowing that he could finally go to sleep.


	4. Second Chances Won't Leave You Alone

**Day 7**

"Roxas, wake up! Report to the grey room immediately!" Saix looked at Roxas making sure that the rookie was waking up.

"I don't want to wake up…" Roxas took his blanket and covered himself with it, trying to drown the sound of Saix's voice.

"Roxas!" Saix grabbed the blanket and forced it off of him. He looked at Roxas with an annoyed face. "Get over there, NOW!" He walked out of the room in a hurry to see if the others were awake.

As Saix exited the room, Roxas looked at the ceiling and let out a moan. He proceeded to thrash violently on his bed. He seriously did not want to get up.

* * *

Walking inside the grey room, Roxas noticed that no one had left for a mission. Everyone was there, relaxing. Why? His stomach then began to growl; he was hungry.

"Hey there Kupo! I could hear your stomach growling a mile away! Would you like to have some breakfast Kupo?"

Roxas's mouth began to salivate. He could already taste the most mouth-watering pancakes the world had ever seen. Not to mention the juiciest and most scrumptious sausages you have ever tasted. "Yea! Thank you Mr. Moogle! Do you think I could have some of your amazing pancakes?"

Moogle was overjoyed. "All right, coming right up Kupo!" He rushed to the kitchen, preparing to make Roxas's pancakes.

"Roxas! There you are." Axel walked up to him trying to catch his attention. "You know, I really need to keep an eye on you. Saix thought you were still sleeping and I was just about to go check."

Roxas let out a sigh. "I wish that was true. It's really early and sleep sounds really good right now."

"Come on, Roxas lighten up." Axel put his arm around his shoulder and continued. "You'll feel a lot better when we go get some sea salts later."

Roxas looked at Axel and smiled. "Yea! That'd be great."

The two walked towards the couches, hoping for a spot. When they saw that no one was sitting at one particular couch, they ran as fast as they could, practically throwing themselves on it. They shared a laugh as the others stared at the two.

"I mean seriously, how old are you two?" Luxord asked in a rhetorical manner.

Roxas and Axel ignored him and continued to talk.

"Hey Axel, Why are we up so early? And why are we all here and not out doing missions?"

Axel thought for a moment and responded. "I'm betting that there is a meeting today, or something just as important."

Luxord looked up at Axel and let out a smirk. "And how much are you willing to wager on this theory of yours?"

Axel looked at Luxord confused. "Wager? I'm not actually betting. I just think there's a meeting today."

"Oh, The cautious type." Luxord stated, smiling even wider. He rubbed his chin for a moment trying to figure out Axel's game. "Alright, I wager 100 munny that there is no meeting, or anything important for that matter. I'm sure there are too many heartless and we need a lot of time to take care of them as soon as possible."

Axel stared at Luxord, wondering if he was serious. "100 munny?"

"Oh you're right. Let's up the ante shall we?" Luxord paused and thought. "I am willing to go up to 400. That is, if you are so confident."

"400? You have got to be kidding me. Listen…"

Luxord interrupted him, amazed that Axel was going so high. "Alright, fine. 1000 munny!"

As this was going on, the other members began to join the two "gamblers", intrigued at what would happen. So much money was at stake, who could resist?

"Careful there, man," Xigbar warned Luxord, with his always cheery smile. "Hot-head over there might have a trick up his sleeve."

"What're you talking about? I didn't want to be part of this in the first place!" Axel explained rather annoyed.

"OK!" Luxord screamed. He looked at Axel very closely as the crowd grew silent, awaiting his response. "100,000 munny!"

The members gasped in shock and whispered among themselves. Where did Luxord even get this kind of munny?

"100,000 munny? That's outrageous!" Demyx said, seeming the most shocked of all.

"Listen to him Luxord," Axel said, trying to get him to understand. "I don't have that kind of munny. Plus, are we forgetting that I don't even want to be a part of…"

"Attention, everyone!"

Everyone turned their heads to find that Saix was standing there, clipboard in hand, waiting for their full attention.

"Thank you for your patience. You have all been gathered here because there will be a meeting in The Round Room. You must all report…" Saix was interrupted by a scream that came from one of the members.

Luxord couldn't control it. He was screaming so loud at the disappointing news. He started to cry knowing that he had just lost everything. "My money… all gone!" As he wept, some of the members cheered for Axel while others, like Xigbar, were disappointed they had joined the wrong side.

Saix looked at the members who were cheering loudly. He began to grow tired of these nobodies and their childlike behaviors. It is exactly why he chose to isolate himself from these buffoons.

It was then that he had had enough. "Report to The Round Room in ten minutes or Lord Xemnas will not be pleased!" he yelled, trying to make his voice heard. With that, he held his clipboard tightly and walked to The Round Room alone.

Once Saix had left the room, everyone proceeded to laugh at Luxord, who was still in tears. Axel, however, tried to quiet everyone down. He shushed and told people to shut up. Once it was silent, he turned to Luxord who had stopped weeping and started to stare at Axel confused.

"Luxord…" he said grabbing his shoulder. "When will I get my munny?" he asked making the biggest grin he possibly could.

Luxord went to tears again as everyone began to laugh at him. Axel laughed as well, knowing that he was practically rich now.

Axel quieted down and stuck his hand out for Roxas to take. "Come on, Roxas. Let's go to The Round Room now. That way, it's impossible for us to be late."

Roxas smiled and took Axel's hand. Axel pulled him up and they began their walk. The others noticed them leaving and decided to go as well. Leaving poor old Luxord behind.

When he got control of his emotions, Luxord saw that they were leaving and chased after them. "No wait! I'm coming too! I don't want to be alone!" He screamed as he chased after them.

The Grey Room was silent, seeing how all the members had left to be early. "Here you go Kupo! My world famous…" He observed the place. "Kupo?" Everyone was gone. He floated in place, wondering where everyone was. Moogle looked down in disappointment as he flew slowly back in the kitchen. "That was unkupo…"

* * *

"Alright, this is where you sit, so… sit." Axel said forcing Roxas to sit on his chair. "Whenever we meet here this is your seat, so don't go and take someone else's seat, got it memorized?"

Roxas nodded and tried to get comfy on his seat.

"Ok… Oh and try not to fall off, you don't want to get hurt now, do you?"

Roxas shook his head and tried to get a good grip on his chair.

"Alright. Well I'll see you soon then." With that, Axel opened a portal and went to his seat.

Roxas looked around, not really knowing exactly what to do. He noticed that everyone was accounted for, but Xemnas. To pass the time, he started to count everyone. "1, 2, 3," he counted as he matched the number with the organization member. "10, 11, 12, 13... 14." He looked around confused, wondering how he got fourteen. "14?"

"Good tidings, friends!"

Roxas looked up only to see Xemnas sitting on the once empty chair. He was surprised. He didn't even notice him entering at all.

"Today is a momentous day," Xemnas continued. "I am pleased to announce that a new comrade has been chosen to wear the coat."

Everyone had an intrigued look on their face. Who could it possibly be?

Roxas glanced at Xemnas and thought to himself. "_Another comrade? 14?_" He stopped his thinking only to hear footsteps.

A hooded nobody walked to the center, all eyes fixed on this individual.

Roxas looked down at this nobody as sweat dropped from his forehead. He tightly clenched the armrests wondering why he was so tense. "_14?_" He kept asking himself. "_14?_"

The nobody stood there as Xemnas continued. "Let us all welcome one of the keyblade's chosen, number XIV,"

At that moment, Roxas's eyes widened as wide as they could. His eyes began to water as he heard her number being called out. "Xion," He whispered as a tear rolled down his cheek. He remembered everything.

Xion looked up at Roxas who was staring at her. She couldn't explain it, but a warm "feeling" started to overtake her body. It felt nice. She looked Roxas straight in the eye and smiled at him.

Roxas jumped a little, surprised at her action. He gazed at her gorgeous blue eyes. The same eyes that always reminded him of the ocean at Destiny Island. It had been so long since he had seen them. He was happy. Roxas let another tear roll down his cheek and then smiled back at her.

"That is all for today's meeting," Xemnas proceeded. "You are all expected to complete your missions today, as planned. Saix will be in The Grey Room to give you your mission. Now go!"

One by one, members started to disappear to The Grey Room to receive their daily assignment.

Roxas looked at Xion, unable to move. He wondered if she still had her memories. Xion then opened a portal and headed with the others. He sat there wiping the tears from his eyes, trying to soak in all that had happened.

"Roxas! Go to your mission." Xemnas ordered. "I believe Axel is waiting for you." Xemnas opened a portal to his office, leaving Roxas alone in The Round Room.

He sat there clenching his hands as hard as he could. He started to get angry and he knew exactly why. That bastard Xemnas was the one that caused everything, and now, it was all happening again. Roxas stopped and thought for a moment realizing something. "_It's all happening again. Which means… I can change all of this._" He started to become hopeful. "_Yea. I can change all of this. I can stop Xemnas. I… I can stop Xion's death._" He paused as he remembered that horrendous day. "_Xion._" He thought to himself.

Roxas made up his mind. He knew what he had to do. "Xion's not going to die this time… Xemnas is." He stood up on his chair and opened a portal to The Grey Room. With a determined face, Roxas walked through. He had a second chance; he was not going to screw it up.

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys! Hope you've been enjoying the story so far! I know there really hasn't been a lot of Rokushi lately, but trust me, it's coming up soon and when it comes, it's going to knock you out! I also wanted to thank everyone who reviewed and followed and did all that other good stuff. It really means a lot to me no matter what you may think. Thank you!**

**If you haven't reviewed/followed/faved/told your friends about this story, please do! I'm curious to know if you guys are liking this or not so I can continue with it or just scrap the whole thing. Well anyways, keep reading and remember... the Rokushi IS COMING! Got so many cute things that by the end of it, you're going to need a therapist or psychiatrist... or whatever... ^^ **


	5. Remember Me

**Day 8:**

The Grey Room was awfully quiet that morning. There were some members still trying to wake up, but other than that, everyone had gone to their missions early, due to the high quantities of heartless appearing. Because of this, Roxas was being sent to learn to fight these heartless with Axel.

"Teach him well Axel." Saix said, wondering if he was the right choice for this task.

"Don't worry. I'll be sure he makes the grade. Roxas, let's go." He turned to him, noticing that Roxas wasn't paying attention. "What's wrong?" Wondering what was distracting him, Axel tried to see what he was staring so intently at. "_The kid?_" He thought to himself. "You worried about the new kid? What was that name again?" He asked, turning to Saix for an answer.

"Number XIV, Xion." Roxas replied continuing to stare at her.

Surprised, Axel looked at Roxas, wondering how he knew her name. "Right, I knew that."

Roxas kept staring at Xion. "_How am I going to do this_?" He thought to himself. He wanted her to remember him. She needed to know what was going to happen if they sat around and did nothing.

"How about my name?" Axel asked, starting to see how much Roxas actually knew. "Did you get that mem…"

"Axel."

"And how 'bout our boss's…"

"Xemnas."

Axel and Saix were impressed. Roxas knew so much in so little time. Saix looked at Axel. "Perhaps there is hope after all." He said walking away from the two, amused.

Axel opened a portal to Twilight Town. "Come on Mr. Know-It-All. The faster we finish our mission, the sooner we can relax." He walked through the portal, disappearing from the room.

Roxas was still gazing at Xion. He didn't want to leave, but he had to. Roxas turned around and headed for the portal, keeping eye contact on her. "_I'll be back, Xion._" He thought to himself as he disappeared to Twilight Town.

* * *

"Alrite Roxas, summon your keyblade." Axel commanded. When he turned to him though, he realized that Roxas was already holding his keyblade. "Wow. You're learning a lot faster than I thought."

"Where are the heartless?" Roxas asked, wanting to finish the mission quickly.

"They should've been around…"

Suddenly, the heartless started to appear. It started out with ten, but uncontrollably grew to more than one hundred. This wasn't good. "We've gotta get outta here Roxas!" Axel suggested. "There's way too many for your first…" A Darkball rapidly attacked him, but Axel was fast enough to block its attack. "Why am I being interrupted a lot today?" he asked himself.

Roxas jumped high into the air, landing right in the middle of all the heartless. "Roxas! What're you doing? Get the hell out of there!" Axel yelled as he destroyed the Darkball that attacked him.

The heartless kept multiplying and multiplying to a ridiculous amount. They didn't stop. Roxas, however, was ready.

He began to go crazy. Swinging at any heartless that came anywhere near him. He played the defensive role for a while and started his offensive strategy. He ran up to swarms of heartless and destroyed them within seconds. He didn't put his guard down though. He would notice enemies trying to attack him from behind, but when he saw this from the corner of his eye, he hurled his keyblade at them, destroying all that were behind him. At this rate, he was sure to finish fast.

"Roxas?" Axel screamed, confused to every extent, "Since when can you fight?"

"Ever since you decided to just stand there."

Axel chuckled. "The kid can fight and he's a smart ass," he said to himself. "I must be one hell of a teacher."

Heartless began to approach him very quickly, but Axel was ready for a good fight. He summoned his chakrams and ran to them. "You want a fight? Alright, fine!" Fire began to appear on his weapons as he got closer and closer. "BURN BABY!" Axel attacked furiously as he summoned fire to burn the heartless around him.

"It's about time you helped!" Roxas yelled with a laugh.

The duo began to quickly clear all the shadows. They had stopped multiplying and it was becoming a lot easier for them to finish the job, but there was still too many to deal with.

Axel had grown tired and decided to join Roxas. The two stood still, back-to-back, and the heartless stood still as well, surrounding both of them.

"Hey Axel." Roxas said, knowing exactly what to do. "Let's finish this."

"Yeah" he responded.

The two started to run to the heartless, making sure they heard their battle cries.

As Axel reached his enemies, he saw a white glimmer of light that immediately started to shine blindingly. He couldn't see a thing. All he could hear was Roxas screaming to the top of his lungs, in pain. Covering his eyes with his hand, Axel raised a chakram as if he was forced to. "Roxas!" he shouted incredibly concerned. It sounded like he was being mutilated horrifically.

The screaming had stopped as Roxas proceeded. "Take this!" A big crash was heard as the tremendous amount of light disappeared. The beautiful sky was visible once again. Particles of light fell to the ground like snow on Christmas day. Roxas fell to his knees trying to catch his breath.

After regaining his sight, to Axel's surprise, all the heartless were gone. There were none in sight. He turned around. "Roxas!" he said extremely concerned. He ran to him and tried to get him on his feet. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." Roxas responded with a smile. "Just a little tired."

"Roxas, that was amazing!" he cheered, still in amazement. "I mean the way you hit them so fast, and how you took all of them on, and when you…"

As Axel continued praising him, Roxas contemplated about what had happened during that fight. "_I thought using that limit was going to be hard,_" he thought to himself. "_It wasn't though. Back then, I couldn't even start it, but…_" He paused and looked at Axel, who was still taken aback at what had happened. Still congratulating Roxas for his bravery and skills. Roxas smiled and thought of Xion as well. "_I get it now. I couldn't do it back then because my bond with them wasn't strong enough. Having someone disappear in front of you is something that brought me closer to Xion, while leaving Axel brought me pain and sorrow. Seeing these two again… my bond with them couldn't have grown any stronger. My best friends… are what I need._" Roxas gave Axel his full attention and started to laugh.

"Huh? What's so funny?" Axel asked wondering why he was laughing.

Roxas looked at him and continued to smile. "Nothing. I was just thinking," he paused for a moment. "I got really lucky in that fight."

"Lucky? That was pure skill Roxas! Something that only a teacher like me can teach you," he stated jokingly.

Roxas snickered at his statement. "Yeah right! You can't even teach yourself to wake up in the morning."

The two shared a laugh together, making Roxas feel happy that he could laugh with his friend again.

"You know, I think your hard work today has earned you some Sea Salts, on me!" Axel said as he got his wallet out. "How 'bout it?"

"Yeah. It's a plan!" Roxas replied joyfully. "I'll meet you at the Clock Tower."

"Got it!" Axel responded, and with that, Roxas opened a portal to the tower and walked right in.

* * *

Sitting on the edge of the tower, Roxas gazed at the beautiful sunset, trying to soak in all its beauty. The light breeze blew against him, softly swaying his hair around. Everything seemed perfect and bliss. The plan that was imprinted in his head seemed to reassure him that everything was going to turn out for the better. He thought of Xion, the girl he needed to rescue from the castle she was imprisoned in by the organization. He imagined himself as a knight in shining armor, riding his noble steed to rescue the princess who was in need of help. He would climb to the highest point of the castle, defeating anyone in his way. When he arrived, the princess would be there to thank him, and they would be off to a place, free from the grasp of the organization.

Roxas smiled at his thoughts. "I would invite Axel too… then it would truly be a perfect world," he said to himself quietly.

"_Where would you go?_"

Roxas looked around, wondering where the voice had come from. "What?" he said in confusion.

The mysterious voice didn't respond.

Roxas looked to the sunset again, as if looking at its breathtaking sight would reveal to him the answer. "I… don't know."

"_There are flaws in your world,_" explained the voice. "_The question is, are you willing to face them?_"

"Who are you?" he yelled, still searching for that voice. "Come on! Show yourself!" Roxas stood up and kept looking around, but couldn't find the source. He then heard something. Something that widened his eyes and brought chills down his spine. He couldn't quite hear it, but to him, it sounded like someone was laughing, eerily. He looked to the distance, as the voice grew quieter, eventually dying out.

"The icing on the cake!" Axel said stepping out of his portal. "Here. Take yours."

He looked at Axel, still confused at what had just happened. He reached for his ice cream and sat on the edge of the tower, wondering whose voice that belonged to.

Axel sat next to Roxas. He noticed that Roxas was staring at the sunset, lost in thought. Axel stared with him and smiled. "It's incredible isn't it?"

Roxas looked at Axel confused. "What do you mean?"

"The sunset. I can't explain it, but when I look at it, something inside me forces me to smile. Even if I'm having a really bad day, it never fails to make my day."

Roxas laughed as he continued to enjoy his Sea Salt. "That is so not you."

"Like you even know me," Axel retorted while laughing. "What has it been, a week since you joined the organization? And here you are, finally out in the field working for the organization, all while making jokes about me like you knew me."

"Yea…" Roxas thought for a moment. He wanted to tell Axel everything. How he was reliving the past and what was to happen in the future, but would that be the right thing to do?

"You know," Axel continued after a long pause between the two, "you might even say that today is where it all really begins for you."

Roxas thought about everything that happened that day. From being able to use his limit to the odd voice that had spoken to him earlier. He took a bite of his ice cream as he thought deeply at what the voice had said. "Where it all begins…" he said to himself quietly.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for not posting last week guys. Things have been getting pretty crazy. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter though :D. Like always: hit that fave button, critique my work, or follow me like a stalker. I hope all of you had a great halloween and steered clear from those creepers. There are always creepers...**


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